-Mike-

Alecto’s reverse-jointed legs rose from the ground as her wings carried her toward the ceiling. A smile still adorned her face, this time appearing less sensual and more mischievous. At the center of the arena, Charlie stood with their hands hanging to their sides, before slowly raising their staff, aiming it at Mike. Their movements were stiff like that of a machine; as their weapon remained aimed at Mike, it didn't sway even an inch.

Mike, feeling the smallest hint of remorse, stared back at Charlie with his jaw clenched. “Damn it!" he said between his teeth. "I shouldn’t have turned my back! Sorry, it has to end this way, kid.”

Woah, woah, woah, what do you mean by end? You're gonna kill Charlie, are you insane?

Mike frowned, gesturing toward Charlie with his left hand. “Uh… The kid’s trying to kill us. So… yes.” Mike answered plainly. “Unlike you, I’m thinking with my head rather than my penis. If we want to get out of here, we gotta choose between Charlie or us.”

I’m not– Charlie helped us! Charlie literally just beat the first phase for us!

“And now Charlie's trying to do the same thing to us!”

Even if we were to kill Charlie, we’d have to take out Alecto still! Maybe if we just knock Charlie out, then beat Alecto, Charlie wont attack us anymore.

Mike sighed. He knew Michaell was right. Besides, Charlie was a formidable comrade, getting rid of them would be disadvantageous for the rest of their ascent. “Alright, but if knocking the kid out doesn't work, I'll have no other choice.”

Mike stepped forward, dodging a single quick magical blast from Charlie’s staff. Their crimson eyes were completely devoid of any life as they tracked the horned devil, showing no signs of fear as he stepped closer with his hammer in hand. Once Mike was within melee range, Charlie fired one last magical bolt, though Mike weaved to the side like a boxer, avoiding it entirely. Using the blunt end of his hammer while using only a fraction of his strength, Mike swung at Charlie. The mage side-stepped, their long hair flowing to the side as their robotic eyes remained fixated on their opponent. Like a conductor, Charlie waved their staff back and forth, launching smaller projectiles at their pursuer. Meanwhile, crimson projectiles, which reeked of blood, were being sent down toward them by Alecto herself, cackling with each bloody spear thrown from her fingertips.

"Charlie! I need you to wake up, kid! I don't wanna hafta kill you!" Mike spoke between fast and precise swings, however, the more Charlie dodged and retaliated, the more evident it was that his words weren't getting through to them.

"This kid's footwork is ridiculous!" Mike uttered, struggling to land even a single attack as Charlie danced around him like a ballet dancer, weaving, dodging, and ducking as if it were all second nature. Realizing projectiles weren't working, Charlie took one big step away from Mike, forming a blue blade at the end of their staff.

They can do that!? What are they, a Jedi?

"I guess so!" Mike said as he dodged the whirring blade, feeling its heat as it narrowly passed by his skin. Still, all of Charlie's movements were precise and natural, it was as if they'd trained their entire life in hand-to-hand combat. However, their perfect movements are what led Mike to formulate a hypothesis. 'The kid wasn't moving like this before...It's 'cause that bitch is the one pulling the strings, which means there must be some sort of attack pattern!'

With poised eyes, Mike went on the defensive, inspecting every single last movement of Charlie's. It was then that Mike could see through the cracks. 'There's my opening.' he said internally, watching as Charlie slashed vertically twice, spinning to gain momentum. At the end of this attack, there was the briefest of moments where Mike could attack! And so, patiently, he waited his turn, dodging the bloody projectiles from Alecto while still focusing on Charlie's melee attacks. Eventually, that attack he'd been waiting for was flung out, compelling him to swerve around it! The strike whiffed, and before Charlie could retaliate or dodge, Mike slammed their midsection with his hammer, dealing so much damage that it nearly took away all of Charlie's Health Points, however, they barely clung to life.

What happened to holding back!?

"I was holding back!"

Charlie's magic blade retracted as the weapon hit the ground and Charlie held their stomach. Those red eyes that once consumed them had vanished, returning to their usual dark brown color as Charlie fell to their knees. Before the rest of their body would hit the ground, Charlie fell unconscious, none the wiser that they'd just attacked their own comrades.

"There, your little friend is still alive. Happy?" Mike said to his bodymate.

Thank you, Mike. You're a good guy. Now we can focus on the bat girl.

Mike scoffed then turned his attention toward Alecto, who was flying above the floating platform, far beyond the reach of his hammer. The onslaught of projectiles ceased and it appeared that Alecto was building up energy within herself, convulsing as she made her body smaller. "Awe... It seems the pretty mage is no longer of use to me... No matter, I've had my fun!"

Fuck! This is gonna be big! I think this is a DPS check or something! We have to interrupt her attack or else we're cooked!

“DPS check? The bitch is too high for any of my attacks! We should’ve bought a ranged weapon… Fuck!” All Mike could do was watch as Alecto's woolly body began to emit a crimson glow, the veins in her neck and arms glowing the same color. This scarlet energy culminated into a ball of energy that spawned from between her lips. At any moment, that energy would be released, killing Mike, Michael, and Charlie. Though they had a second chance, they were uncertain that a third chance was possible had they died again. Even so, Charlie wouldn't be so lucky as their death would be permanent as far as they knew. Had Charlie been awake, they could cast their massive spell at the demon. However, this thought gave Michael an idea.

Charlie’s staff!

Mike’s eyes darted toward the staff on the ground, lying right beside Charlie's unconscious body. Quickly, he picked it up and aimed it at Alecto. "Sayonara!" he shouted, sending his energy into the base of it!

But nothing happened.

"The hell?' he whispered, looking down at his watch which began to chime, reading the prompt that was flashing on the screen.

[Requires Intellect Level 15]

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Damn it!" Mike lowered his arms, watching Alecto still charge that massive blast inside her throat. "This isn’t going to work. Maybe I could throw my hammer at her and kill her in one hit!"

Or you can let me give it a go. Michael's suggestion brought a scowl to Mike's face, compelling him to remember the last two times Michael attempted to fight anything.

“Uh… No, that sounds like the worst idea imaginable!”

We have no other choice! If we try your dumb ass idea, then we'll be down a weapon if you miss! Just do it!

Reluctantly, Mike placed his thumb on the sharp end of the hammer. "Fine." he muttered before slitting his finger, drawing blood, and surrendering the body to Michael.

-Michael-

Michael, having full control of the body, checked the smartwatch's Stats tab, something he hadn't done while in control of the body thus far. His pupils doubled in size and the corners of his lips curled upward upon seeing the text on his screen. "I knew it!" he said, seeing that his stats and Mike's were completely different!

Vitality 20 Intellect 20 Agility 15 Luck 0 Strength 5

Zero luck and five strength… No wonder you were so useless in hand-to-hand combat. So what does this mean? You're like Charlie?

"I think so... I guess physical weapons aren't my thing. It's magic weapons!"

Alright then, kid. I'm giving you another chance. Kill this bitch.

"I'll try." Michael held up Charlie's staff with two hands, planting his feet at his shoulder's length. As he aimed the weapon at Alecto, he couldn't help but reminisce about his past failures. He thought of Marcus, his younger brother and the many times he failed to beat a simple skeleton in Tartarus. The humiliation he felt upon having to surrender the body to Mike, especially in front of Charlie, was eating him up from the inside even then. Michael's self-confidence was at an all-time low, and despite his stats showing that he was made for this, to cast spells, he couldn't muster up the energy to do so due to his own mental block.

Mike couldn't read his mind, though they did share the same body. Every sensation, even that of guilt and embarrassment, was felt from the inside of their collective mind. For once, Mike truly understood how it felt to believe he was weak through Michael's emotions. 'Kid...' he thought. If they wanted to make it out alive, Mike knew that he needed to say something to motivate his partner. Just as he did once before, Mike's voice shifted to that of a father as he gave one last speech to the young man he shared his body with.

Michael. Remember what I said about the bushy-tailed and wide-eyed kids who'd join the military in hopes of being on the front lines? I told you that you were just like them; that you were better off sitting behind the screen, behind our eyes, and being the communications guy. Well, it ain't that simple. Some of those kids, the ones that wanted to be at the forefront of combat didn't have what it took and neither do you. I wasn't wrong about that. Still, those who wanted to fight, those who wanted to protect those who they held dear at home, they found something they were good at, something that allowed them to still fight!

Michael thought about Charlie, who was unconscious behind him. He remembered the promise he made to them; he said we would protect them until the two of them would escape Hell, despite not having the means to protect anyone. 'But that was back then.' he said in his own mind as a blue ball of energy began to form at the end of Charlie's staff. Mike's words were getting through to him, and the old man continued his passionate speech.

...A lot of these kids, the ones who weren't strong enough to be forefront soldiers, were damn good shots! My DMs, my Designated Marksmen, they always had my back when I needed them the most! Without them, I would be nothing! You're my DM Michael! I know you feel powerless right now, you aren't confident. Hell, I wouldn't be confident in myself neither. I don't know how this magic stuff works, but anyone can swing a weapon. What I do know is your stats aren't lying to you, Michael. This is what you were meant for. Think about Charlie, protecting him...or her...Think about our goal! Don't think about your past, so what you were weak back then? Prove right now that you are strong and send this bitch back where she came!

The energy at the end of Michael's borrowed weapon had reached its maximum potency and with one final shout, he released all of it toward the flying creature! At the same time, Alecto opened her mouth, and a blood-red beam of energy blasted toward Michael. The two beams clashed, generating incredible pressure that blasted outward. Michael's hair fluttered rearward as he gritted his teeth, squinting his crimson eyes at the blinding light! Meanwhile, Charlie could be seen lying face down, turning their head, and opening their eyes to find Michael using their weapon in their stead, assuming it was the old man. "Mike?" they muttered, though their voice was unheard by the horned young man as he continued firing everything he had at Alecto.

"RAAAAH!" Michael bellowed, still pouring his heart and soul into this attack! Hearing his voice, Charlie's eyes widened. "Michael?" they said, this time it was loud enough for Michael to hear. He turned his head slightly to face them, making eye contact with the raven-haired mage. Immediately, Charlie was certain that it was Michael, it was evident by those crimson eyes of his. Seeing Charlie looking up at him only compelled Michael to push himself harder, yet again roaring as he pushed himself further beyond what he'd done previously. His veins were bulging out of his forehead and arms, his teeth were grinding against each other with such pressure, that they'd nearly cracked, and an intense heat started to resonate off his body at temperatures more scalding than they typically were.

Alecto couldn't believe their eyes! This weakling, this misplaced soul, had nearly overwhelmed her power! No, he was overwhelming her! She could feel her power draining rapidly, despite being one of Lucifer's underlings and having immense strength, she couldn't go on like this forever. Knowing this, she went all in for one final push! She shrieked, and that blast of energy that shot from between her lips doubled in size, causing Michael's feet to slide backward toward the edge of the platform and his untimely third death. "NOOOOOOO!" Michael screamed, though his screams wouldn't give him enough power to withstand this attack.

COME ON KID! DIG DEEPER!

"Can't you see... I'm FUCKING trying!" Michael said between his teeth. His eyes were completely shut as the blinding rays were too much for him. Despite having regained his confidence, he started feeling it waning once again. His confidence was like a seesaw, one moment he'd tell himself he could push through, but the next he'd tell himself it was pointless. Mike was yelling something at him, but everything was so loud, he couldn't even hear the voice in his head. 'It's over... Hopefully, we'll get another shot... But Charlie...'

Just as his feet were about to fall off the edge, Michael felt a presence embrace him from behind. He opened his eyes, turning his head slightly to see Charlie's chin resting on his shoulder as their arms wrapped around to hold onto the staff alongside Michael. They could barely stand on their own two feet, using Michael's body to hold up their own. Michael's body was so hot, that Charlie felt as if their body was being boiled. Nonetheless, Charlie wasn't going out without one final fight, a little bit of heat wouldn't be enough to deter them. "What are you doing!?" Michael asked, shocked to see his mage companions back on their feet, gritting their teeth due to Michael's heat.

"What does it look like!? I'm casting a spell! Maybe if we both cast it..." Charlie began pouring all their energy into the staff alongside Michael, that blue beam of his tripling in size. Slowly, Charlie and Michael's projectile began to consume Alecto's, shrouding scarlet in a cobalt hue.

"What!" The guardian of the fifth floor muttered before Michael and Charlie's combined energy fully enveloped her, disintegrating her body due to its immense might. Those who were making the journey toward Tartarus could see a blinding light flashing through the building. Even Harut, who was at the entrance trying to barter with some newbies, rubbernecked at the sky with wide, quivering eyes. "So, it's really them. Lucifer's Expungers... The twin souls in the body of a single demon."

Alecto's screams halted and the light show ceased. Michael and Charlie opened their eyes to see that Alecto was no more, not even a single molecule of her remained.